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How To Create and Add an Effective Landing Page to Your Website
Attract the Audience You Want With Tailored Landing Pages
Tyler Mason
April 9th, 2024
When did you last walk around a grocery store? Picture the large aisle signs (the ones that look like this):
Now imagine that those signs and aisles were gone. Instead, produce, clothing, movies, and yard tools are scattered throughout the store. Can you find what you’re looking for? How long will you keep shopping there?
Landing pages give your website visitors access to the content they need. So instead of endlessly scrolling through a homepage with no clear sense of direction, they see immediate benefits. That moves them to action and helps you accomplish your marketing goals.
How do I add a landing page to my website?
Should landing pages be linked to websites?
How do I publish a landing page?
What is a landing page?
Some people might come after me for saying this, but a landing page is any page your visitors see after clicking a link to your website. Any page. The following are all landing pages:
Product pages
Order pages
Thank-you pages
Sign-up pages
Home pages
In the newsletter industry, landing pages are the primary way that you’ll get new subscribers. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you how to create and add an effective landing page to your website, and I’ll share some of the best ways you can link to those landing pages.
Key Takeaways
Custom landing pages are essential for creating the content that your readers want to see.
The steps to adding a landing page differ depending on whether you use a CMS or code them from scratch.
Linking from the right places will boost the effectiveness of your landing pages.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Having a Landing Page on Your Website
Our Toyota Highlander got smashed by a deer a couple of days ago. So to get an idea of the actual cash value, I searched “actual car value estimate” on Google. Carvana’s website was towards the top.
Here’s the landing page it took me to when I clicked:
Perfect. I don’t know how accurate their estimate was, but the point is that I landed on a page that specifically catered to what I needed. And because of that, I took action.
No matter the industry, adding custom landing pages to your website will bring significant benefits. After implementing the tips in this article, you can see them for yourself.
Increased Conversions
More conversions are the biggest and most noticeable benefit when adding a landing page to your website. When you personalize content to your audience, they immediately see how it benefits them and are more likely to take action.
Improved Lead Generation
Websites get traffic from a wide array of sources, including paid ads, email marketing, social media content, and referrals. Landing pages generate more leads because they allow you to customize the customer experience – no matter where they came from.
Here’s an example:
TikTok Ad -> Landing Page A
Facebook Ad -> Landing Page B
Google Organic Search -> Landing Page C
Email CTA -> Landing Page D
You can also link to the same landing page from multiple sources if your offer is the same. Just don’t confuse your readers by offering one thing in an ad and leading them to a landing page that says something different.
Accurate Tracking
Which of the following sounds more helpful?
A) Seeing tracking information for your web visitors over the last month
Or
B) Seeing detailed visitor information for each of your website’s pages over the last month
Option B is the only way to go if you want to optimize your content strategy based on analytics. Because as lovely as it is to see a total number of visitors, knowing exactly where and how those visitors interact with your site is always more effective. Personalizing and adding a landing page lets you do just that.
How To Add a Landing Page to a Website
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you’re reading this article for information on how to add a landing page to your website. If that’s all you’re here for, feel free to skip to this section.
For the rest of you, here are some tips for designing the landing page you want to add. And if you want to be inspired by some successful landing page examples, see this post.
Define Your Goal
Ask yourself: Why am I creating this landing page? Who do I want to attract? What do I want them to do?’
Once you have those answers, you’re better positioned to create a landing page that resonates with your audience and gets results.
Design for User Experience
If a reader clicks on an email link that says “I want to start my free trial,” make sure the first thing they see is a free trial. Don’t muddy the waters with multiple offers or products or, even worse, send them to a generic page.
Remember To Account for Mobile
According to this study done by DataReportal, 97.6% of the world’s population (ages 16 to 64) owns a smartphone. That’s more than 40% higher than those who own a desktop or laptop computer.
Designing landing pages for mobile responsiveness isn’t just a bonus anymore; it’s essential for getting your audience to engage with content.
Once you’ve adequately considered those points, you’re ready to create and add your landing page. Here’s how to do it.
1. Develop a Landing Page.
Landing pages are developed in one of two ways: through a content management system (CMS) or by custom coding the page from scratch. Is there an overall best choice? No, but we can narrow down the best option for your website.
Pros of using a CMS:
They’re fairly easy to use, even without web development knowledge.
Plugins allow for some customization depending on your CMS.
Cons of using a CMS:
Load times can be an issue, especially with larger websites.
Even with plugins and themes constantly being added, a CMS will never match the level of customization that coding from scratch brings.
Pros of coding from scratch:
You have complete control over every aspect of your landing page.
You’ll never have to worry about issues caused by changed features or plugin updates.
Load times can be shorter depending on how you code the page.
Cons of coding from scratch:
Coding a functional web page is relatively straightforward. Coding one that loads quickly, has proper security, and functions correctly takes a lot more work.
Depending on the complexity of your page, coding from scratch can be more expensive and time-consuming than using a CMS.
Content Management System (CMS)
Content Management Systems are fantastic tools for creating custom landing pages, especially if you aren’t familiar with web development.
Take WordPress, for example. The more than 50,000 plugins and hundreds of customizable templates make it possible to add engaging landing pages without learning how to code. If I built a small to medium-sized website today, I’d use a CMS.
For large sites with thousands of landing pages, coding from scratch often yields better results (and allows for unlimited customization).
Custom Coding From Scratch
Custom coding your website from the ground up is the only way to retain complete control over customization and functionality. It allows you to implement your desired features and designs without adding unnecessary content. And when you have total control of your code, keeping visitors focused on a single goal is easy.
2. Add Your Landing Page.
The steps to add a landing page to your website will vary depending on whether or not you use a CMS.
Here’s how it usually works.
Integration Via CMS
Choose a landing page theme from your CMS.
Create your page using the theme or template. Add copy, CTAs, and links to other pages.
Publish the page within your CMS.
Integration Via Custom Coding
Code your landing page.
Add design elements with CSS.
Write copy and add CTAs and links.
Upload the HTML file to your server using an FTP client like FileZilla.
For creators using beehiiv, building and adding a custom landing page couldn’t be easier. From your beehiiv dashboard, go to Settings -> Website -> Pages. It’ll look like this:
From there, you can design a landing page, a home page, an upgrade page, or an internal page. Need some help getting started? Check out this tutorial on adding custom pages.
3. Enhance Your Page With Third-Party Tools.
HTML is great for creating functional landing pages, but adding third-party tools allows for more customization and interaction. Here are a few suggestions.
Google Analytics
If using a CMS like WordPress, you’ll likely have to install a plugin like Google Site Kit or add code to the site header. Google Analytics enables visitor tracking (time spent, bounce rate, etc.) and is essential in creating custom content for your audience.
Interactive Forms and Surveys
Adding an interactive form to your landing page creates a clear goal for your visitors. Gathering feedback from forms and surveys is a great way to know where to adapt your content without guessing.
Disclaimer: Make sure that you test your web page after adding a third-party tool to ensure that it doesn’t conflict with the existing content. That includes testing load speeds, design issues, and anything that could negatively impact your readers’ experience.
The Best Ways To Link a Landing Page to Your Website
The most effective landing pages won’t see results without linking them to your website. Here are a few of the best ways to link to a landing page.
Pop-Ups
Non-marketers sigh when they see the word ‘Pop-Ups,’ and I don’t blame them. But not all pop-ups are bad. The key is tactful design, placement, and timing.
For example, here’s what you’d see after scrolling a bit on the beehiiv-powered newsletter Young Money.
While this pop-up isn’t linking to a specific landing page, it serves a similar purpose, and it does a few things really, really well.
It’s not intrusive. It only pops up after you’ve read through part of a post.
It’s personal. Jack (the creator) uses pop-ups to build an immediate connection with his readers.
It has one CTA, and you know exactly what you’ll get by taking action.
I’m going to share a quick history lesson for this one. In 1994, Wired.com (then called HotWired) invented and launched the first banner ad. Here’s what it looked like.
Beautiful, right?
Since those early days of the internet, marketers have used banner ads to generate more sales in virtually every industry. They aren’t as effective in 2024 as they were 30 years ago. However, banners can still convert when properly designed and implemented.
If you want to test the effectiveness of a banner ad yourself, keep these tips in mind.
Design it to catch your visitors’ eyes without being annoying.
Choose the right display size (300 x 250px is a good starting point).
Tailor the banner content to your audience. Proper targeting is even more important for banner ads than pop-ups and footers.
Linking to a landing page in the footer is a discreet way to gain more subscribers or attract visitors to a product. Category links, discount offers, and contact forms give readers an opportunity to take action every time they scroll to the end of a page.
Here’s an example from a beehiiv newsletter called AI Breakfast.
The Posts, Authors, and Upgrade links take you to individual landing pages, and the Subscribe CTA gives readers an easy way to subscribe right from the footer.
Emails
Whether you include them in marketing emails or as part of a newsletter, email links are an effective way to see high conversion rates and engagement.
Try implementing these tips in your next email:
Add a CTA linking your readers to a product page, a special discount offer, or a free gift.
Ask your readers a question and take them to a custom survey page to record their responses.
Include multiple CTAs to give your readers additional opportunities to take action.
Tips When Creating a Landing Page
Creating and adding a landing page is a great accomplishment. Segmentation and A/B testing will transform those custom landing pages from good to great. I’ll wrap things up with a couple of tips to remember when creating your next landing page.
Segment Your Audience
One of the most significant benefits of owning your email list is the ability to segment your audience. Take advantage of that by creating custom landing pages.
For example, the following email from Microsoft is sitting in my inbox.
I’m not a Tekken guy. But if I click the “Get it now >” link, it’ll take me to a landing page where I can buy Tekken. That’s much better than if it took me to the home page or a page for a different product.
A/B Testing
Many times, email subject lines are the topic of conversation when referring to A/B testing (and tailored subject lines are great!). However, subject lines aren’t the only part of your marketing strategy that you should test. Comparing the results of two landing pages can be equally important in identifying how your audience reacts.
Try something like:
Changing the landing page’s CTA
Adding or removing content to improve your customer’s experience
Altering the landing page design to ensure that the focus is where you want it
Keep in mind: Changing too many things at once defeats the purpose of A/B testing since you won’t know what your audience is reacting to. It’s better to make one small change, measure the results, and repeat until you’re satisfied.
Why Trust Me? While I spend most of my time writing content instead of designing and testing landing pages, I know the value of targeted marketing efforts. I’ve A/B tested dozens of emails in the pet, home improvement, and web development industries. Plus, I’m a big CX nerd.
Final Thoughts
Custom landing pages are essential to target the right audience and ensure that your readers only see relevant content. Whether you use a CMS or code your own from scratch, adding a landing page to your website is well worth the effort.
Want to see how easy it is to create a custom landing page in beehiiv? Check out our video tutorial here. And if you haven’t created a newsletter just yet, beehiiv’s free plan gives you all of the tools you’ll need!
How Do I Add a Landing Page to My Website FAQs
As a little wrap-up, here are a few answers to landing page questions we’ve seen.
How do I link affiliate pages to my website?
The easiest way to link affiliate pages to your website (if using a CMS) is by implementing an affiliate link plugin. The BetterLinks plugin available through WordPress is a great free choice. Linko is another popular link management tool that works particularly well if you use social media marketing.
What are common mistakes to avoid when adding a landing page to a website?
Here’s a short list of dos and don’ts when adding your next landing page:
Don’t try to include more than one offer. Instead, be laser-focused on a single goal and tailor each landing page to fit it.
Don’t use your home page as a landing page for specific marketing campaigns. Instead, direct visitors only to relevant pages.
Don’t guess what will make a successful landing page for your audience. Instead, A/B test to see what works.
Can I use a landing page without a full website?
Yes! A pre-website landing page is especially useful when creating a sales letter or lead magnet. Your readers get what they want without you spending extra time on irrelevant pages. Add more landing pages once you start seeing traffic and require additional content.
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